Kvartalnov Seems To Know His Place With Bruins

November 08, 1992|By JEFF JACOBS; Courant Staff Writer

Voskresensk, Russia, an industrial town of 75,000 about 100 miles southeast of Moscow, is a motherlode of hockey talent. Voskresensk, in fact, is to hockey what San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, is to baseball.

Only blocks from a giant agrochemical factory, the rinks of Voskresensk have produced Igor Larionov, Valeri Kamensky, Valeri Zelepukin, Andrei Lomakin and Vyacheslov Kozlov. ... But Voskresensk's No. 1 headline grabber is winger Dmitri Kvartalnov of the Bruins.

On the No. 1 line with Adam Oates and Joe Juneau, Special K, as some fans in Boston refer to Kvartalnov, has 11 goals and 20 points for the Bruins (8-22). He's flashy. He's dynamic. He shoots with power.

Last year, it was Vladimir "Rosie" Ruzicka. This year, Kvartalnov is blooming. Any more of these free-for-all European dazzlers and Bruins fans are going to forget about Don Cherry and Lunchpail A.C.

Because he's 26, Kvartalnov is not eligible to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, but his impact has been felt as much as Eric Lindros in Philadelphia, and Juneau and Teemu Selanne in Winnipeg. (If a player has turned 26 by Sept. 15, he is not eligible for the Calder).

In the days of communism, the Central Red Army would raid the local elite team, Khimik. Now, it's the NHL that has come knocking with big bucks and selling big dreams.

Eleven Europeans went in the first round in June, so Kvartalnov wasn't special in that regard.

Kvartalnov, however, has arrived in Boston via the most unusual hockey destination. Before the Bruins made him the first Russian drafted in their history, Kvartalnov scored 60 goals for the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League and was MVP and rookie of the year.

The problem was that Kvartalnov is 26, while the draft age is 18. If a team was going to make a major investment in him, it better be able to use him immediately in a high-profile fashion.

His defensive instincts are borderline terrible, leading Whalers general manager Brian Burke to say in June that he needs a map and compass to find the defensive zone.

But with winger Cam Neely's knee in such bad shape that nobody knows what his future will be, the Bruins turned out to be a perfect match for Special K at 16th overall.

Kvartalnov's agent, Paul Theofanous of International Management Group, had sent a highlight film of his goals to each NHL team last season. Some have mistakenly reported that Kvartalnov was the first player drafted out of the IHL. Remember former Whalers winger Mike McDougal? The native of Port Huron, Mich., spent his junior years in the IHL with the Port Huron Flags before the Rangers drafted him in 1978.

"We weren't sure if Dmitri was going to get the proper exposure or not," Theofanous said Friday. "We thought we had a gem. But an NHL scout would see him once or twice in the IHL. Everybody didn't get a good look at him. Teams would send scouts to look at their own affiliated prospects and not necessarily to scout Dmitri as a draft pick. We thought there might be a shortfall of information.

"The video turned out pretty good. And in the words of [Bruins' assistant general manager] Mike Milbury, he scored from every conceivable angle." During a protracted contract battle, Milbury, in exasperation, said Special K might be a legitimate scorer or he might be an "abject failure." But a month later, Milbury calls him a "legitimate sniper." Kvartalnov is only 5 foot 10, 175 pounds. And after tearing up his knee, nobody drafted him in 1990 or 1991, even as a late 11th- or 12th- rounder. He turned down an offer of about $150,000 to play in Switzerland or Germany, Theofanous said, to play in San Diego for $50,000. He stayed with teammate Sergei Starikov and Starikov's wife, Irene, served as his translator. Kvartalnov, who doesn't speak English, drove a 1985 Chevette.

"There's always another Dmitri out there floating around," Theofanous said. "Somebody's just got to find him." Theofanous said he and Kvartalnov had a serious discussion and came to the mutual decision to play in the IHL. After Zelepukin, also an IMG client and Kvartalnov's close friend since they were kids, bolted Khimik for New Jersey in 1990, Kvartalnov was afraid Khimik wouldn't release him. The Khimik coach even threatened Theofanous. Within a few days, Theofanous got Kvartalnov out.

Theofanous said Dmitri's mother was left crying and wondering what he was doing to her son. Theofanous tried to explain it all to his mom. She didn't understand.

Now she does. Friday afternoon, Theofanous was leaving for a trip to visit tennis clients in Moscow and he plans on visiting Kvartalnov's parents while in Russia. Theofanous also is going to visit his hockey client, center Viktor Kozlov, who many say will be drafted No. 1 in 1993.

Rob Nichols, Kvartalnov's linemate in San Diego, was interviewed by the Bruins extensively before they drafted him. Nichols assured them he could score 30 or 40 goals in the NHL.